It would definitely facilitate internation communication, but so much culture would be lost. I would advocate everyone learning one language, along with their local one, so there is the best of both worlds.

There'd still be just as much differentiation in the meanings behind the words..different cultures would develop different interpretations using the same words (you can see that by just looking at the differences in dialect and meaning between someone from Louisianna and someone from Britain). People are probably too unique/stubborn and would find a way to make their culture's version of the language different somehow.

And as we all know, Esperanto didn't quite work out as the universal language.

And as we all know, Esperanto didn't quite work out as the universal language.

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Esperanto's problem is that there are no native speakers of the language, so it's not like it feels very useful.

Now, idea of universal second language is much closer, and I understand English is the most widely spread non-native language, and geographically speaking a widely spread native language too. Of course other former colonial languages - especially in the Third World countries - like French, Spanish and German come behind it, too.

Esperanto's problem is that there are no native speakers of the language, so it's not like it feels very useful.

Now, idea of universal second language is much closer, and I understand English is the most widely spread non-native language, and geographically speaking a widely spread native language too. Of course other former colonial languages - especially in the Third World countries - like French, Spanish and German come behind it, too.

Esperanto's problem is that there are no native speakers of the language, so it's not like it feels very useful.

Now, idea of universal second language is much closer, and I understand English is the most widely spread non-native language, and geographically speaking a widely spread native language too. Of course other former colonial languages - especially in the Third World countries - like French, Spanish and German come behind it, too.

Click to expand...

Spanish has got to be #2. Sometimes it feels like it's overtaking English in the US.

English is well on its way towards becoming a universal language. We have 600,000+ words and growing, many of the new words we assimilate are directly related to other languages...etc.

It's kinda funny, because, yes, more homogeneity would make things quite a bit more efficient and/or streamlined. But, there is something to be said about the preservation of culture, language, heritage, tradition, beliefs...etc. Language is a very integral part to the development of many peoples, if stripped of individual languages, many of other establishments lose influence and culture dies.

So it's a double edged sword. In many ways, doing away with languages and culture and striving for unification would conceivably create a more harmonious world. But it would also create a lame world too. I think. heh